I have recently taken up photography as a hobby, not digital, but on film. I am shunning “Auto” and taking time to compose each shot, being choosy about what I take, as the roll is not infinite. As such, each shot becomes treasured, even if it does not come out as expected. Bob Bradshaw’s new album, ‘American Echoes’, has the feeling of a treasured photo album crammed with fond memories and experiences. Indeed, Bradshaw started his journey in America, which has led to the content of ‘American Echoes’, way back in 1989. It is a product of the people, places and venues he has visited and the experiences he has had in his adopted homeland. It draws on classic American genres ranging from country and folk to bluegrass and the blues. The album is a celebration and a document of the dreamers, poets and sinners that he has met on his journey across the nation’s landscape.

Bob Bradshaw by Steve Pellinacci

Bradshaw, an Irish born singer/songwriter, is a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, gaining his degree of Professional Music in 2009. This “official” accreditation of his abilities is underpinned by years of experience as a self-taught player performing in the streets of Europe as well as in U.S. cover bands, bar bands, and in his own San Francisco Band, Resident Aliens. Evidence of this experience on the road and as a graduate professional, feeds into the sound and lyrics found on ‘American Echoes’. The new album follows critical acclaim for the predecessors ‘Home’ in 2013 and 2015’s ‘Whatever You Wanted’, which was named by the Telegraph as one of the best Americana/Country albums of the year. It was credited as “a wonderful paced example of how he has lifted the sights, sounds and moods if America and sparkled them with originality” (Pennyblack Music). ‘American Echoes’ is a compelling development of this theme.

The album’s atmospheric opener, ‘Exotic Dancers Wanted’ is a perfect example of the aforementioned theme. The title itself conjures the image of a badly pinned advert on the outside of a slightly drab dancing club. Elements of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wrestler’ and the poetic storytelling of Bob Dylan can be found here. Bradshaw’s lyrical camera drifts from punter to punter as their mini biographies are laid before the listener. The gentle, lapping almost lazy summer's day rhythm and tinkling piano provides the light backdrop for the sordid stories within. Parallels are drawn between the club and the world outside, from which the clientele are desperate to escape, if only for a few hours. The heady, alcohol soaked ambience is captured in the lyric: “Freddie in the front row, not quite yet a man, got the hots for Dixie, he’s drinkin’ it all in. Wonders: will I ever get to tell the dancers from the dance?” Bradshaw is sympathetic to the dancers, though candid about the reality of the club that they need the punters as much as the punters need the dancers “Her pockets filled with dollar bills a flask of whiskey and some pills. Hell, even she can’t tell the dancers from the dance…”

‘Meet me’ shares territory with Richard Hawley’s ‘Coles Corner’, albeit a different take on a similar theme - the heartbreaking search for companionship in the faceless metropolis. The endless list of meeting locations, suggesting new dates each time, indicates each one in turn has failed to develop to anything more than a one off encounter. “...meet me downtown, any place, anytime…” The heartfelt lyric is given greater gravitas by Andrew Stern’s sweeping guitar. The eagerness for intimacy and self sacrifice to find it is all too evident “I’ll be waiting for you, don’t you worry. I’ll be there before you if I hurry...Eastside, Westside, anyplace you got in mind. Tell me when, tell me where. I’ll be there.”

‘Call It What You Will’ opens with a drumbeat reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s take on ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. This track would not sound out of place on Sting’s seminal ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales’. A haunting and standout track, there are shades of John Martyn to Bradshaw’s vocal which is backed by beautiful harmonies from Britt Connors and the gentle tumbling piano solo of James Rohr. “Things got a little stormy up in the sky…” the turbulent relationship laid bare in the lyrics is metaphorically represented by the moon (she) and the sun (he) and the unravelling of a once harmonious union. As with the timeless battle between the moon and the sun for precedence, she has been exhausted by the relentless challenge of the partnership “The moon is sad and frazzled, she’s not the fightin’ kind. She’s worn out by his cruel and fiery ways...”. While the conflict seems inescapable the moon (she) longs for release “You can call it what you will, but I can’t wait until it’s over.”

‘Assumptions’ shares some of its DNA with Pete Droge and the Sinners “Beautiful Girl”, with Bradshaw’s vocal recalling Guy Garvey at his most tender. It is a companion piece to ‘Meet Me’ yet, rather than the self sacrifice seen in that song, here our protagonist has more self preservation. “And you won’t understand how meticulous plans come to nothing, how assumptions are made, and how you must go on alone.” The close harmonies in the chorus give way to a glorious guitar solo in the bridge. It is an ode to lost love and what could have been. “Here’s to the journey, that was not ours to take…” Gently moving, profound and will have fans searching out the repeat button, time and again.

‘Weight of the World’ opens with a Beatle-esque ‘Day Tripper’ guitar solo; full throttle rock with Mark Knopfler echoed in Bradshaw’s effortlessly commanding vocal. A foot tapping, jukebox favourite celebrating truckers, a love affair with insomnia and the wee hours of the morning. “Clock tells me it’s three o three, and I’ve been lyin’ here prayin’ I’d see the daylight...I’m carrying the weight, ferrying the freight, carrying the weight of the world.” It is dancefloor friendly and no doubt the staple of live sets with searing electric guitar and infectious drumming of Mike Connors. Only thing is at only 2.32 it is over much too soon!

In stark contrast, it is followed by the beautiful ‘Stella’. Again, there are hints of Richard Hawley here and the lush teenage dream of Rick Nelson’s ‘Lonesome Town’. It is an unapologetically romantic serenade to the lady of the title and the impact she has had on our protagonist; “I came outta’ my shell for ya, now you see I am dancin’ too.” The lyric encompasses giving all of yourself to one person and falling hopelessly in love. “Feelin’ light on my feet ‘round ya, Stella. Maybe we can find the beat together, one step away, Stella. What do you say, Stella. Take my hand and lead me there where you are.” This track is shortly followed by its bookend - ‘Material For The Blues’. It is a lullaby marking the creativity sparked by solitude, yet is similarly romantic. The storyteller hides the unfulfilled relationships and half forgotten dates behind a firm exterior and draws on this emotional fuel for his craft. “There are no marks, you see no bruise, my world’s a silent house filled with material for the blues.”

Regarding the album’s title Bradshaw himself states: “[As echoes] these songs travel forwards and backwards at the same time...backwards to the folk and country music that first inspired me to sing and write songs, and forwards into more complex, layered sounds I encountered in Berklee.” ‘American Echoes’ is an important crossroads for Bradshaw; like a well thumbed journal, it lays down a rich melting pot of collated ideas and signals the beginning of a new stage in his musical journey. Based on this remarkable collection of songs, fans of Americana and Country should watch Bradshaw’s next step with great anticipation.

Review by Jon Amer.

American Echoes will be released by Fluke Records on October 20th 2017.

A decade and a half ago, Tom Baxter, was riding the wave of an acoustic singer-songwriter renaissance, championed by the New Acoustic Movement and Roadworks tours, which played a part in the successes of Tom McRae, Ben & Jason, Polly Paulusma and KT Tunstall. Like Tunstall, Baxter landed a major label deal but Columbia didn’t invest in him as a long-term prospect (Tunstall was, conversely, carefully developed by Relentless). Baxter was dropped after his debut Feather & Stone failed to cut the commercial mustard; a criminal state of affairs, given that the album was an incredible, hit-riddled record, dripping with giant string arrangements and emotional energy. The independently recorded yet equally strong Skybound followed in 2007 and spawned the single ‘Better’, a cover of which - for better or worse depending on your view - was a big hit for Boyzone a year later. Fast forward to 2018 and Tom Baxter - having been married, divorced and married again in that time - is back with The Other Side of Blue, a record that is devoid of all the whistle-and-bellery that adorned his first two outings. Every song features just a solo vocal with only guitar or piano for company. Brave? Foolish? Let’s find out…

After a spell touring as a duo, Dublin-based Lucky Bones have returned to a full band sound for their third album Matchstick Men. Rocky and reflective in equal measure, the record doffs its hat to some musical heavyweights and doesn't pale in comparison. It also offers us a glimpse of songwriter Eamonn O’Connor’s gift for pitching downbeat emotion against a decidedly upbeat musical sensibility.

When Glenn Frey passed away in 2016 he left a legacy of music of which any artist would be proud. Over the years his work as a solo artist and with the Eagles seems to have divided opinion, for every Eagles fan there seems to be hater just around the next corner, a situation I’ve always found very surprising. ‘Hotel California’ and ‘Their Greatest Hits 1971-75’ (the latter of which is the second bestselling album of all-time with 29,000,000 sales in the USA) are a fitting tribute to Frey and his talents. After forty years I’ll still happily spin 'Hotel California' and those early hits, which I consider to be solid gold classics, and I’m pleased to report the Library of Congress selected the hits album for preservation as "culturally, historically, or artistically significant" so I’m in pretty good company. The 3-CD + 1-DVD set ‘Above The Clouds’ finds us venturing far from those early country rock roots as Frey the solo artist seemed content to follow his muse wherever it took him, generally in a soft-rock / soul / R&B direction. The results, especially looking back in the cold light of day, are uneven but not without some genuinely standout tracks, all of which are presented with a professional sheen when maybe, on occasion, a little grit would have been welcome.

Scott Matthews is one of those artists I just can’t imagine not being there. His solemn, haunting vocal style has been winning over fans ever since his acclaimed debut, Passing Stranger, was released in 2006. Back then, amid the acoustic singer-songwriter boom of the 2000s, there emerged a handful of acts that may no longer make huge commercial waves but still continue to make exquisite, interesting records. New releases from the likes of Polly Paulusma, Tom Baxter and Tom McRae - all contemporaries of Matthews - are a comforting reminder that great songwriters can and do endure, regardless of time or fashion. A new album from Scott Matthews (or any of the above) is the sort of thing that, even before I hear it, helps to restore my ailing faith in humanity.

This band’s moniker may make them sound like a municipal leisure centre but, thankfully, an unassuming supergroup is actually what lies behind the name. BWP are Robin Bennett, Danny George Wilson and Tony Poole. Many readers will know Danny Wilson from his time fronting Grand Drive and Danny & The Champions of the World and some will know Robin Bennett from his work with The Dreaming Spires but BWP’s secret weapon is veteran guitarist and producer Tony Poole. Poole was one half of Starry Eyed and Laughing who released two records in the mid-1970s earning a reputation as the ‘English Byrds’. If you pair Poole’s pedigree, and famed mastery of the 12-string Rickenbacker, with Wilson and Bennet’s background in contemporary harmony-driven Americana you’ll already have a decent idea of where the band are coming from.

The RGM inbox is visited daily by up-and-coming Canadian acts trying to spread the word about their new records here on this side of the water. We love nothing more than to hear all this fantastic new music but, unfortunately, we can’t possibly cover it all. However, two recent (and very different) releases that mustn’t pass without a mention have come in from Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Dom Fricot and the artful five-piece Oh Geronimo.

With a career that effectively straddles the entire history of popular music, Joan Baez is an artist for whom the legendary tag was probably invented. Baez made her debut at the Newport Folk Festival in 1959 and released her debut album in 1960 (an album selected by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Recording Registry) and was one of the first artists to recognise the talent of an aspiring Bob Dylan before she closed out the 60’s with a performance at Woodstock. Her recording career has continued to this day with over thirty albums and songs performed in a range of languages. Alongside her musical achievements, her political and social activism has shone a light on many areas including the civil rights movement, human rights and the environment. Joan is one of very few artists who can claim (not that she would I’m sure) to have made a difference and her legacy is assured. Refusing, at 77, to rest on her laurels she’s back with a new album ‘Whistle Down The Wind’ her first release in almost a decade.

Possibly the most shocking statistic I’ve come across in recent times is the following: It is estimated that 7400 current or former members of the United States Armed Services take their own lives annually. This is obviously not just a problem specific to the USA, here in the UK military personnel face the same challenges on active duty and when their tours end. SongwritingWith:Soldiers is a non-profit organisation, founded in 2012 by singer-songwriter Darden Smith, which pairs veterans and active duty military with songwriters to hopefully confirm the old idiom “A problem shared is a problem halved.” With this in mind Mary Gauthier’s ‘Rifles & Rosary Beads’ could well be the most important album you’ll hear this year.

Dane Joneshill and I have a few things in common: we both write songs and make records; we are both slightly ill-at-ease with social media; we’re the same age and we both know the simultaneous joy and pain of life as a domestic dad. Obviously, I shouldn’t let this sense of kinship colour what ought to be an objective appreciation of his debut album, Everything That Rises Must Converge, but it’s just possible it might.

Between Two Shores is Hansard’s third solo album and, rather than finding him adrift as its title might suggest, it sees him grounded as a solo artist for the first time. Plenty of the songs from his first two outings would’ve passed unnoticed as Frames songs but this album really seems to put an end to all of that. I will always associate Glen Hansard with the raw crunch and visceral angst of ‘Pavement Tune’ and the Zeppelin crashings of ‘The Stars Are Underground’ (that said, I do always seem to be about twenty years behind the times) but that urgent, exploratory rock of youth has totally given way to an effortless songwriting maturity and an altogether more seasoned approach to making records.